n. [ L. compurgatio, fr. compurgare to purify wholly; com- + purgare to make pure. See Purge, v. t. ] 1. (Law) The act or practice of justifying or confirming a man's veracity by the oath of others; -- called also wager of law. See Purgation; also Wager of law, under Wager. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Exculpation by testimony to one's veracity or innocence. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was privileged from his childhood from suspicion of incontinency and needed no compurgation. Bp. Hacket. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. ] One who bears testimony or swears to the veracity or innocence of another. See Purgation; also Wager of law, under Wager. [ 1913 Webster ]

All they who know me . . . will say they have reason in this matter to be my compurgators. Chillingworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to a compurgator or to compurgation. “Their compurgatorial oath.” Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving to purge; tending to cleanse or purify. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Expurgated p. pr. & vb. n. Expurgating ] [ L. expurgatus, p. p. of expurgare to purge, purify; ex out, from + purgare to cleanse, purify, purge. See Purge, and cf. Spurge. ] To purify; to clear from anything noxious, offensive, or erroneous; to cleanse; to purge; as, to expurgate a book. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having material deleted; -- of books; as, at that time even Shakespeare was considered dangerous except in the expurgated versions. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. expurgatio justification, excuse: cf. F. expurgation. ] The act of expurgating, purging, or cleansing; purification from anything noxious, offensive, sinful, or erroneous. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who expurgates or purifies. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending or serving to expurgate; expurgatory. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Expurgatory. [ Obs. ] “Expurgatorious indexes.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. expurgatoire. ] Serving to purify from anything noxious or erroneous; cleansing; purifying. “Expurgatory animadversions.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Expurgatory Index. See Index Expurgatorius, under Index. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. OF. espurgier. See Expurgate. ] To purge away. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. purgamentum offscourings, washings, expiatory sacrifice. See Purge. ] 1. That which is excreted; excretion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) A cathartic; a purgative. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. purgatio: cf. F. purgation. See Purge. ] 1. The act of purging; the act of clearing, cleansing, or putifying, by separating and carrying off impurities, or whatever is superfluous; the evacuation of the bowels. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The clearing of one's self from a crime of which one was publicly suspected and accused. It was either canonical, which was prescribed by the canon law, the form whereof used in the spiritual court was, that the person suspected take his oath that he was clear of the matter objected against him, and bring his honest neighbors with him to make oath that they believes he swore truly; or vulgar, which was by fire or water ordeal, or by combat. See Ordeal. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let him put me to my purgation. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. purgativus: cf. F. purgatif. ] Having the power or quality of purging; cathartic. -- n. (Med.) A purging medicine; a cathartic. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a purgative manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Of or pertaining to purgatory; expiatory. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who holds to the doctrine of purgatory. Boswell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. purgatorius. ] Tending to cleanse; cleansing; expiatory. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. purgatoire. ] A state or place of purification after death; according to the Roman Catholic creed, a place, or a state believed to exist after death, in which the souls of persons are purified by expiating such offenses committed in this life as do not merit eternal damnation, or in which they fully satisfy the justice of God for sins that have been forgiven. After this purgation from the impurities of sin, the souls are believed to be received into heaven. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Purged p. pr. & vb. n. Purging ] [ F. purger, L. purgare; purus pure + agere to make, to do. See Pure, and Agent. ] 1. To cleanse, clear, or purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure, heterogeneous, foreign, or superfluous. “Till fire purge all things new.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) To operate on as, or by means of, a cathartic medicine, or in a similar manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To clarify; to defecate, as liquors. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To clear of sediment, as a boiler, or of air, as a steam pipe, by driving off or permitting escape. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To clear from guilt, or from moral or ceremonial defilement; as, to purge one of guilt or crime. [ 1913 Webster ]

When that he hath purged you from sin. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Ps. li. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Law) To clear from accusation, or the charge of a crime or misdemeanor, as by oath or in ordeal. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To remove in cleansing; to deterge; to wash away; -- often followed by away. [ 1913 Webster ]

Purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Ps. lxxix. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

We 'll join our cares to purge away
Our country's crimes. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To become pure, as by clarification. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To have or produce frequent evacuations from the intestines, as by means of a cathartic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. purge. See Purge, v. t. ] 1. The act of purging. [ 1913 Webster ]

The preparative for the purge of paganism of the kingdom of Northumberland. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which purges; especially, a medicine that evacuates the intestines; a cathartic. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, purges or cleanses; especially, a cathartic medicine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The part of a sugarhouse where the molasses is drained off from the sugar. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That purges; cleansing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Purging flax (Bot.), an annual European plant of the genus Linum (Linum catharticum); dwarf wild flax; -- so called from its use as a cathartic medicine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) The act of cleansing; excessive evacuations; especially, diarrhea. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A place galled or excoriated by much using of the spur. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To gall or wound with a spur. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] To emit foam; to froth; -- said of the emission of yeast from beer in course of fermentation. [ Obs. ] W. Cartright. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. espurge, F. épurge, from OF. espurgier to purge, L. expurgare. See Expurgate, Purge. ] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Euphorbia. See Euphorbia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Spurge flax, an evergreen shrub (Daphne Gnidium) with crowded narrow leaves. It is a native of Southern Europe. --
Spurge laurel, a European shrub (Daphne Laureola) with oblong evergreen leaves. --
Spurge nettle. See under Nettle. --
Spurge olive, an evergreen shrub (Daphne oleoides) found in the Mediterranean region. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) Any euphorbiaceous plant. Lindley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 2d Spurge. ] A purging. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Excessive purgation. Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]